Online Bot Traffic Spikes During Q4 2012 Holiday Shopping Season

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Solve Media (www.SolveMedia.com)
issued its latest Bot Traffic Market Advisory update today, revealing an
alarming increase in bot traffic during the fourth quarter of 2012,
peaking during the busy holiday shopping season. The company attributes
the spike to a marked increase in online activity and advertising
expenditures during Q4 2012. Solve Media identified that suspicious
activity increased from 26 percent in Q3 to highs of 40 percent in Q4 of
2012. During the same timeframe, the company identified that 25 percent
of the suspicious activity in Q4 was the result of bot traffic, up from
only 10 percent in Q3.

Bots crowd web traffic and cause advertisers to pay for impressions that
are not being seen by human beings. Bots can undermine the security of
the web and cause harm by stealing publisher content, creating spam
assets and posting inappropriate content.

“Solve Media is bridging the gap between the security and advertising
communities, “ said Chris Wysopal, CTO of Veracode and a member of Solve
Media’s Security Advisory Council. “Advertising to non-humans is simply
ineffective and publishers who have taken a proactive stance against bot
traffic are to be commended.”

In order to better differentiate between levels of suspicious activity
and useful bots from nefarious bots, Solve Media categorized bots by
their interests:

“Through our proven security solutions, we are working to eradicate the
bot scourge that is impacting all digital publishers and advertisers,”
said Ari Jacoby, CEO, Solve Media. “In Q4 we found that bots cost
marketers at least $1 billion in display advertising and more than $2
billion in digital advertising investments – a considerable loss that
impairs return on investment calculations. With Solve Media, brands are
guaranteed memorable engagements with consumers and brand lift, on a
performance-basis.”

Key findings from the Q4 Bot Market Update include:

Higher activity and growth among level 2 bots

A geographic analysis that shows significant increases in bot traffic
in two hotspots

Bot traffic in The United Arab Emirates nearly doubled in Q4, from
33 percent to 64 percent

Bot traffic in the U.S. grew from 16 percent to 32.36 percent

About Solve Media

Solve Media (www.SolveMedia.com)
was founded by veteran entrepreneurs and technologists focused on
innovative Internet advertising and security solutions. The company’s
proprietary online advertising platform, the TYPE-IN™, was designed to
create highly effective opportunities for brands to engage online. With
the platform, Solve Media guarantees brand message delivery, brand lift
and return on investment for advertisers. Additionally, the platform
creates new revenue opportunities for publishers, and saves time for
consumers. Backed by First Round Capital, New Atlantic Ventures, AOL
Ventures, Bullpen Capital and prominent angel investors, Solve Media is
based in New York City and Philadelphia.